Downright Daring Life

Don't eat alone

It's been a busy year.  There have been lots of projects, lots of writing, lots of changes - lots of lots of things.  I find myself in the second half of the year marveling at the twists and turns of events and how much I have and haven't accomplished with these days. 

In all of this the one constant has been the Word and the sweetness of the presence of the Lord.

I am reading slowly, carefully through the Epistles trying not to view them through my education or experience and see with fresh eyes.  Some days, I barely get through a verse or two.  Often, I have to run to my computer to look up a word in the Greek because I get so caught up in needing to understand what God is trying to say.  I find myself thinking, pondering, talking with the Lord about what I read.

It has been a somewhat solitary journey, though not intentionally so. 

I meet with the Lord in the morning with my cup of tea.  I come awake with Him and these words He has placed before me but I find something missing. I want to talk about what I read, ponder it with someone, ask how it changes us and renews our minds before the day takes over and I forget what He told me.  Before the writing and projects and events of the day. 

There is a feast of the Word in my life and I find I really don't like eating alone. 

So, here's my plan.  Friday mornings, Jaime and I will get back to reading a book together and interacting with it and each other.  Every other Saturday I will meet with two other women in a discipleship triad.  I will still seek the Lord in the morning and deliberately be part of His body during the week.

Me, me, me, me, me

"Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?" Daniel is appalled and alarmed thinking about how God was going to deal with Nebuchadnezzar's failure to recognize that he was not God almighty.  He begs him to change but self-love is a powerful drug and Neb is completely addicted to himself.  One year later he forgets the warning and relapses. God is going to bring an intervention.

While the words of his own imaginary greatness were still in his mouth, the truly great One speaks and tells him that all will be removed from him down to his very sanity "until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes."  The great, powerful, majestic (in his mind) king is reduced to one who can oversee nothing, driven from mankind and eats grass like cattle.

The addiction we have to ourselves is a form of insanity and the Lord loves us enough to free us.  The means He used for Neb were extreme but perfect for him - it worked.  When the king raised his eyes toward heaven his reason returned to him and he blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever.  He says, "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride."

Personally, I would prefer to go to the Lord and ask Him to show me areas of pride and to save me from them rather than go so far into the addiction that He has to intervene.  I think the bottom line is a constant state of knowing that I'm not God, He is, and cultivating my love for Him rather than myself.

When He is the One that I praise, when He is the One I adore, when He is the One I serve then the rest of life takes on its appropriate importance and place.  My focus will be off of me and the drug of self-love will no longer be a temptation.  Of course, we'll still have to go to meetings every Sunday to stay sober.

No meat for me, please

So, Daniel and his buddies have been taken captive by old Nebuchadnezzar.  The king thinks that they'd make swell personal servants and so has them entered into Neb's school for handsome, intelligent slaves of the king of Babylon.  Now these guys are offered a life that the other Israeli captives will never see.  They will live in the palace, be instructed in the most advanced knowledge of the day, never be hungry or without a home.  All they have to do is eat the very best the kingdom has to offer.  What, not hungry?

We have a problem.  The food they are offered, while haute cuisine for the day, is forbidden by God.  Since they are captives and lucky to be alive one would think they would just eat and be grateful, but not our guys.  They have already commited themselves to God, His ways, His laws, His commands.  Their handler is not pleased when Daniel asks to be given just fruits, vegies, and grains.  He could lose his life if Daniel and the boys don't turn out well.  Daniel asks for 10 days of eating just what the Lord commands and after that he would submit. God grants them favor and they are given their 10 days.  At the end they are fatter and healthier than the boys that ate what was forbidden. Go figure.

So, what was the big deal over food? Food was not the issue, whom they would serve was.  Not too long after, these 3 friends of Daniel are told to worship a golden statute which our man Neb made or be thrown into a super hot furnace.  Since they have already made up their minds to only worship the living God, worshiping metal, no matter how shiny, is not an option.  And they tell the king that God can save them but even if He doesn't they won't worship anyone but Him.  They are thrown into the furnace but not only do they not die or even smell like smoke, they are met there by an other worldly man.  The king is forced to admit that they are "servants of the Most High God" and that is greater than him or his gods.

It is in making up our minds ahead of time on who we are, why we are and whom we serve that makes future decisions easy.  Neb could certainly kill their bodies for their civil disobedience but he could not effect their eternal life with God.  They would not trade their life with Him for a nice, juicy steak, or a bent knee.  Their life was already given to God and so, every other choice was made already.

Partnership of hearts

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you."  So says the Lord twice to the exiles in the book of Ezekial.  The people have gone into exile "for their heart continually went after their idols" but the Lord has not abandoned them.  He promises them restoration.  This verse is very familiar to me but as I read through this book again after many years I saw this: "...make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!"  I'm not sure how I missed this the first time but it has stood out now.   

In 11:19 and in 36:26 He says that He will transform their hearts and spirit.  In 18:31 He says that they are to transform their own hearts and spirits.  God goes before and after and in the middle is our responsibility.   

The context of the book is, "I shall bring their conduct down on their heads."  But the context is also, "they will know that I am the Lord."  That phrase is repeated over and over throughout the book.  As He calls them to account on their idolatrous ways they will know that He is God.  As He cleanses them of their rebellion they will know that He is God.  As He restores and heals them they will know that He is the Lord.  As He shows them compassion, mercy, love and His power, they will know that HE is LORD.

At times I forget that He is God.  That He is Lord.  My heart turns to other things.  I don't think of them as idols, I don't believe at those times that I am abandoning God to go after idols, but I absolutely am.  Anything I place above or before Him is an idol. Everything I fear or love more than Him is idolatry.  As I read through Ezekial, I see how my sin breaks God's heart and I grieve.  I realize how much I have become part of a culture that cares little for Him.  I see that I daily live as god of my own life while still proclaiming to follow Him.  I need to make for myself a new heart and a new spirit knowing that He goes before me and after and that my responsibility lies in the moment by moment decision to "know that I am the LORD."

 

Extracting the Precious

In the book of Jeremiah, which I have just finished, the Lord says to "extract the precious from the worthless."  I had to stop after reading that and process it a bit. The phrase has stuck with me and now I am looking at all aspects of my life through this phrase. 

The mindset assumes that there are things of value within that we just have to recognize and extract.  I believe I am finding that in each area of my life there are things of deep value waiting to be recognized and brought forth. Where I used to see the dirty, toe-stubbing rock I now see the jewels waiting to be set free and treasured.  I am looking for precious gems in my daily tasks, mundane routines, relationship struggles, failures and mistakes, every book I read, every conversation I have.  There is gold in them thar hills, all I need to do is look for it. 

It is amazing the change of heart that takes place when we set out to see what is good and of value rather than what is wrong and worthless. Life becomes filled with possibilities and opportunities and hope and dreams come to life here.  Discoveries become the norm and what is precious is suddenly everywhere.  What we saw as worthless, dirty rocks bring forth delightful treasures.  I am going to become a collector.